Palmetto Puts Auburndale Away, 27-9

Saturday

Nov 17, 2012 at 12:15 AM

Some call it a game of inches, but this was more like a game of fingertips. Palmetto quarterback Chris Tuten changed near disaster into six points and broke Auburndale's back in a split second in Friday's Class 5A playoff game at Bruce Canova Stadium while piloting the Tigers to a 27-9 win over the Bloodhounds.

By BILL KEMPLEDGER MEDIA GROUP

AUBURNDALE | Some call it a game of inches, but this was more like a game of fingertips.

Palmetto quarterback Chris Tuten changed near disaster into six points and broke Auburndale's back in a split second in Friday's Class 5A playoff game at Bruce Canova Stadium while piloting the Tigers to a 27-9 win over the Bloodhounds.

Facing a pivotal third-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Tuten somehow fielded a snap that was over his head with his fingertips, controlled the ball and scampered up the middle for the touchdown to give Palmetto a 21-0 lead.

"That definitely was a back-breaker. Here we thought we had made a huge play to stop them, but that's football and that thing bounces funny sometimes," Auburndale head coach Ken Grantham said.

The Bloodhounds (6-5) had won four consecutive games and the District 10 championship but had trouble moving the ball against the Tigers until late in the fourth quarter.

"I'm proud of our kids I thought they played hard," Grantham said. "We just dropped a couple of coverages and made some execution errors.

"Offensively for some reason we just could never get in a rhythm."

Tuten and Tigers' wide receiver Shaquille Harris both scored a pair of touchdowns before Auburndale broke through with a 15-yard touchdown catch by Daryle Henry from Brett Taylor with just over 3 minutes remaining in the game.

Palmetto (9-2) will advance to play Lake Wales at Legion Field next week in a regional semifinal game.

"Chris really stepped up tonight," Palmetto head coach Dave Marino said. "To make that play and get that snap and then convert it into a touchdown, that was definitely huge."